A Search for Interstellar Acetic Acid Using the BIMA and OVRO Millimeter Arrays

Session 7 - Gas and Dust in the ISM.
Display session, Monday, June 10
Great Hall,

[7.09] A Search for Interstellar Acetic Acid Using the BIMA and OVRO Millimeter Arrays

D. M. Mehringer, L. E. Snyder, Y. Miao (U. of Illinois), F. J. Lovas (NIST)

We have used the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) and the Caltech Owens Valley (OVRO) millimeter arrays to search for acetic acid (CH_3COOH) in the Sgr B2 Large Molecule Heimat source (e.g., Miao et al. 1995, ApJ, 445, L59). With the BIMA Array, we observed two transitions near 90 GHz. One of these lines is blended with the 37_8,29\rightarrow37_8,30 line of methyl formate,(HCOOCH_3) and so an unambiguous identification is difficult. The other line is in a clear spectral region and we have a detection at the 5 \sigma level. In order to confirm that this line is due to acetic acid, we have used the OVRO Millimeter Array to search for another pair of acetic acid lines near 100 GHz. These data are currently being reduced, and we will discuss our results.

Program listing for Monday